Gumdrops (Not)

Whilst putting together my kindling bags for our wood stove, I paused to appreciate how beautiful pine resin looks when held up to the light - the amber tinge is exquisite. The amber we prize in jewelry is actually fossilized resin from coniferous trees.

 

Resin and pitch come from coniferous trees, and is NOT water soluble; gum is found in deciduous trees, and IS water soluble. This distinction was new to me - I'd been using the word gum for all the pine residue stuck to my shoes, hands, outdoor laundry items, and deck all along.

I paid for exploring these little details indoors when the resin dripped off the cone and I had to clean the tacky mess off my trousers and couch (with an alcohol based solvent of course)!